Ogun declares Tuesday work-free for PVC registration
As the deadline for registration of voters for 2023 General Elections comes to a close on Sunday, July 31, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State Governor has declared Tuesday, July 26, 2022, as a work-free day in the state.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, the Governor said the “one-day public holiday is to provide a window for all workers in the state, who have either lost their cards, not registered or who might need to travel to their wards, local government areas and constituencies to perfect their Permanent Voters Registration or transfer their cards, where necessary, to enable them participate in the next general elections”.
“As an inclusive, participatory and accountable government, the role of PVCs to the citizens cannot be overemphasised,” the statement added.
The Governor, therefore, urged all eligible adults to seize the opportunity of the holiday to go home to their different wards and constituencies to search for their Registered Voter Cards (PVCs), fill the claims and objections forms and transfer the PVCs where necessary, the statement concluded.
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to be completed before Christmas—Fashola
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which has been undergoing reconstruction in the last nine years is expected to be completed in the last month of 2022 before Christmas, Babatunde Fashola, Nigeria’s minister for works and housing, has said.
The minister, who spoke on Sunday in a Channels’ TV programme tagged ‘Season of Completion, Commissioning and Impact,’ noted however that th expected completion date depended on a lot of variables.
He cited a drainage system being constructed by the Oyo State government which, he said, was slowing the pace of work on the expressway and forcing the contractor to work at night.
He pointed out that part of the delay in the completion of the reconstruction work was the high volume of traffic on the expressway which he estimated at 40,000 a day and so it cannot be closed down completely. He added that the reconstruction project was not well funded.
The 127-kilometre Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is Nigeria’s oldest road that was commissioned in 1978 by the military government led by Olusegun Obasanjo. Contract for its reconstruction was awarded in 2013 by the Goodluck Jonathan administration at the cost of N315 billion.
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African leaders welcome Ukraine wheat deal
African leaders have praised a deal struck between Ukraine and Russia that allows wheat and maize to be exported from Ukrainian ports, with the goal of lowering grain prices and restoring supplies to countries facing food shortages.
It is the first significant agreement between the governments of Moscow and Kyiv since the conflict broke out in February.
While speaking at a news conference in Pretoria with his Ivorian counterpart, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the grain blockade had forced African leaders to seriously consider future food supplies.
“Our continued reliance on massive amounts of grains from that region of the world should be viewed as a risk and a real danger to the 1.3 billion people of African countries. As a result, we must use this conflict as a wake-up call.”
President Alassane Ouattara, who is in South Africa on a state visit, insisted that Africa be at the top of the list of grain recipients.
Citizens’ holiday travel plans locked in UK – France blame game
Britain’s travel chaos could worsen today, with more delays expected at the Port of Dover as the UK and France argue over who is to blame for the gridlock.
Cars queue at the Port of Dover in Kent as many families embark on vacations at the start of the summer break for many schools in England and Wales. Staffing at the Port of Dover’s French border control is “woefully inadequate,” causing holidaymakers to wait in long lines, according to the Kent port.
According to Jack Cousens, the AA’s head of roads policy, “because the schools closed their doors completely yesterday, Saturday could be even busier this weekend.”
“Drivers should expect disruption and delays on major holiday routes to the southwest, the east coast, and the ports of Dover and Folkestone.”
“While many have decided to go at the start of the summer vacation, each Friday and Saturday between now and the beginning of September when schools return will be busy on our roads,” Cousens added. “This is because these are the busiest days for vacation rentals.”
However, road users are not the only ones affected, as airports and airlines have struggled for months to recover from two years of coronavirus pandemic-related turbulence.
Thousands of flights have been delayed or cancelled, and luggage has been lost as the aviation industry attempts to recruit, screen, and train new employees after laying off many of their employees during the worst of the pandemic.
Twitter chides Musk deal for biggest revenue miss ever in 2022
Twitter, a social media platform has missed its revenue targets, partially blaming its largest revenue miss ever in the second quarter of this year on Elon Musk’s botched takeover, as the company reported.
The world’s richest man announced this month that he was withdrawing his bid to buy the tech firm for $44 billion, and the company is suing him to force him to fulfill his earlier promise to acquire it in April.
Furthermore, the billionaire claims that the firm failed to provide him with sufficient information about the number of fake – spam bot – Twitter accounts.
Musk’s team anticipates that more information about the bot numbers will be revealed during the trial court discovery process, during which both parties must hand over evidence.
Meanwhile, Twitter contends Musk is attempting to back out because he agreed to pay 38% more than Twitter’s stock price just before the market crashed.
Besides, Tesla shares, which account for the majority of his personal wealth, have lost more than $100 billion in value.
Although a showdown court date has been set for October, Twitter pushed for the case to be heard in September, claiming that the ongoing dispute was harming its business.
